Flee follows an Afghan refugee's journey with his family to find safety in Europe. Years later he recounts the story to a friend who documents the story through animation. Flee is a great argument for animation's place in documentary filmmaking. Though we've seen refugee stories before, this one is specific and intimate. Filled with nuances…
Coda follows the only hearing member of a culturally deaf family as she finds her voice as part of her school's choir Coda starts Sundance 2021 off on a high note. While it doesn't stray too far from its familiar coming-of-age dramedy plot, its keen observations of the hardships and joys of being deaf in…
The titular Promising Young Woman spends her nights baiting male predators into taking her home with them and teaching them a lesson they'll never forget Promising Young Woman balances its serious subject matter with a darkly comedic tone and satisfyingly entertaining revenge narrative that feels like a centerpiece of the #MeToo era. Add in a…
The Midnight Sky follows a cataclysmic event that leaves a scientist alone in the Artic and a spaceship returning home in the dark The Midnight Sky combines the story of Interstellar with the action set pieces of Gravity but ends up being less than stellar and unable to leave the ground. ▶︎ Streaming on Netflix…
In Netflix's Dick Johnson is Dead, cameraperson Kirsten Johnson stages various enactments of her father's death as he suffers from dementia. Dick Johnson is Dead is a fascinating and extremely personal exercise in experimental documentary filmmaking that will have you laughing until you cry and crying until you laugh. It is a film unabashedly about…
A young couple's relationship is thrown into turmoil when an enigmatic filmmaker moves in with them to try and complete her latest film in Black Bear. With its sharp script, interesting structure, and a watershed performance by Aubrey Plaza, Black Bear is a deliciously entertaining and satirical quasi-thriller romp about what it is to be…
Happiest Season follows a lesbian couple who go home for the holidays for the first time. One problem: Harper's family doesn't know she's gay and that Abby is her girlfriend. Hijinks ensue. Happiest Season is filled with hilarious misunderstandings, more than one coming out pun, and a running joke about dead fish. However, at its…
A resourceful teen who is wheelchair-bound begins to suspect that her mother is hiding a deeply-buried secret from her in Run, streaming on Hulu A couple of heart-pounding sequences of suspense and two terrific lead performances by Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen are enough to keep Run moving, but its predictable twists end up kneecapping…
Resolution follows a man's attempt to force his friend into sobriety and while his attempt is good intentioned something sinister is happening at the same time Resolution is a creepy, atmospheric, and wholly satisfying meta-horror that served as a perfect introduction to Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson's specific brand of high concept, lo-fi science fiction.…
In Sound of Metal, a drummer for a heavy metal band is forced to confront a very different future when he suddenly loses his hearing Sound of Metal is one of the best portrayals of deafness in film using smart sound design and a stellar performance by Riz Ahmed to communicate the experience. And while…
